Currently, the primary means for purchasing prepaid cards, such as a gift card, involves a consumer visiting a brick and mortar store, selecting a physical prepaid card, and conducting a normal purchase transaction with a cashier. Alternatively, the consumer may purchase the prepaid card over the Internet by visiting the merchant's web site using a personal computer to conduct a secured electronic payment transaction using a credit card. Regardless of the manner in which the prepaid card is purchased, the end result is normally the same. Namely, the consumer physically receives a plastic prepaid card (e.g., a magnetic stripe gift card) from the cashier at the store or from the merchant via the mail. Similarly, a second party (e.g., a gift recipient) may physically receive the prepaid card either in the mail (i.e., from either the consumer, or directly from the merchant) or in person from the consumer.
Regardless of the manner in which the recipient ultimately receives the prepaid card, the prepaid card is usually provided as a tangible, physical card. As such, the fact the prepaid card is a tangible, physical card may give rise to several problems. For instance, due to its size, the physical prepaid card may be readily misplaced, stolen, or even damaged prior to the consumer using the prepaid card. Moreover, a physical prepaid card cannot be immediately presented to a recipient as a gift if the purchaser and recipient (i.e., sender and recipient) are geographically separated. Rather the presentation of the prepaid card to the recipient is typically limited to conventional mail services.
Accordingly, there exists a need for methods, systems, and computer readable media for electronically delivering a prepaid card to a mobile device.